in a world of your own
by indraaas
Summary: He doesn't like the look of brown hair on his head, nor can he tolerate wearing an outfit that covers half of his gorgeous face, but his vanity is something he's willing to sacrifice to see her.


**A/N:** Guess what? I didn't write this one entirely on my own! This was a collaboration with the absolutely godly **thir13enth,** who fuels my Totuvia needs and desires. Please go check it out on her ffn profile and leave a review there, too! This was so much fun to write, and we have plans for a sequel in the future, so be on the look out!

Without further ado, I present to you "in a world of your own".

* * *

He doesn't like the look of brown hair on his head, nor can he tolerate wearing an outfit that covers half of his gorgeous face, but his vanity is something he's willing to sacrifice to see her.

The outfit isn't anything he's not used to-the baggy pants are an old set taken from the depths of his closet, and the tight shirt is one he wears as an extra layer during the winter.

The fishnet is new. He vividly remembers her prancing around their hotel room during an infiltration mission in a set, and the memory has his chest tightening in response.

He barely has time to swallow the memories down before Sabertooth is rallied back to the stands. They call him up for the next fight - something about a flame dragonslayer - and he takes one last quick look in the mirror to make sure he won't give himself away in the middle of a battle. He's invested too much damn time and too much damn energy for it to all blow up now.

"Are you sure about this?" Dobengal asks quietly. He's perched on the bed behind him, dressed in a casual grey turtleneck and slacks. For once, his face is left bare to the world, and it's then that their relation is made obvious. "You make one wrong move and it's all over. Sabertooth will be disqualified, I will likely be killed, and you would follow. Jiemma is not forgiving."

"I got this, bro," Totomaru snarls at his younger half-brother. "Just like I got your back the last time you tried sneaking out of the house to hook up with some bitch and didn't make it home in time for breakfast." He gives his tight-suited body one last once-over before he heads out the door. "Now it's your turn to cover for me."

"Is it worth it?" Dobengal calls after him. Totomaru freezes by the door, his hand poised over the knob. Something cold settles in his veins, washing away the fire that makes up his system, and he inclines his head just slightly enough that his half-brother can see the cold fire in his eyes. It's a warning to tread carefully, one that Dobengal has never been particularly good at heeding. The Sabertooth Mage traces the tattoos on his knuckles as he continues, "This girl, Juvia. She means a lot to you, but is she worth all this?"

Totomaru rolls the question off his shoulder and turns the doorknob. "Of course, it is, you idiot," he replies without hesitation. "Why the hell would I ever be willing to be you?" He pulls the lower half of the face mask up, officially hiding the telltale tattoos that mark him as himself, then steps out into the hallway, ready for fight.

* * *

Natsu Dragneel hasn't changed much in the seven years since they last met. He still radiates waves of heat and power, and has no control over his volume. Totomaru can hear him quite clearly over the screams of the crowd, despite the fact that he's on the opposite end of the stadium, and he fights the educator in him that longs to render him quiet like he does his class of rowdy seven year olds (one of whom he spots in the crowd, quite clearly skipping class).

He lost to that very same dragonslayer years back in a guild war. He hasn't forgotten the humility of being beat by wit from such a seemingly unintelligent adolescent. It makes his blood boil to remember that they didn't fight fairly — fire on fire, muscle to muscle — the last time they swapped fists, so he's glad that the stars lined up so well. He's been lucky enough for the chance to fight for his pride, and he'd be even luckier if he could catch a glimpse of her in the stands.

"Gray-sama!" it seems the stars are aligned in his favour today. His heart starts pounding in his chest and his stomach flutters, and while he would like to blame the adrenalin, he knows full well that that is a filthy lie. He forces himself to appear casual as he scans the crowd with a practiced eye, finally landing on her, and his heart stops.

She's still the same. Her hair the ocean blue, her eyes the deep sky, her voice the roaring tides — she is as flawless as he last remembers her, but if his memory is accurate, the last time he saw her, she bat her lovesick eyes to him, and not this other man.

He understands now why Dobengal insists on wearing that godforsaken mask of his; he can twist his lips into a snarl and none would be the wiser. How he wishes that, instead of the stupid fire brat, he were going up against the ice mage. He would melt his prissy little sculptures down with ease and send his pathetic little naked body careening through the stadium wall and out the other end. Cold fire floods his veins as he watches the ice alchemist dismiss her offhandedly, and the dejected expression she dons for a brief moment before covering it up with a bright grin nearly sends him into an explosive fit.

Who the fuck kind of bastard would turn that beautiful woman down?

He raises his fist up in the direction of that ice-hearted bastard. Who the fuck—

"Yo! I'm over here, idiot!"

Totomaru whips his head around. He doesn't want to turn his gaze from her, but there's a voice shouting at him that he can't stand. He'll crush him like a bug. He'll show him who's the idiot first.

* * *

 **A/N:** This was so much fun to write, and a great exercise in present tense! I would like to note, however, that we did not intend to bash the Gruvia ship here, if you happen to interpret that. Understand that a characters emotions and thought processes do not necessarily reflect those of the author's.

Also, the Dobengal is Totomaru's half-brother headcanon was mine and kind of how half this thing was born, but it took a life of its own in **thir13enth's** hands, so be sure to thank her, too, if you liked it!

Cheers!

-Touko


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